What about Vietnam veterans’ trauma?

Regarding “Brian trauma boosts PTSD risk,” Feb. 5, I find it interesting that this four-year study is about our current vets. What about all us Vietnam vets? I bet testing would find we have the same problems from concussions.

All the booby traps. Tanks running over land mines. Incoming. The Marines at Con Thien one day took over 1,200 incoming. It is unbelievable what it does to your head. You can’t hear. You can’t think. It take awhile to focus.

I had two concussions over my two years in Vietnam.

This is what really gets me with the VA. I have been told more than once that the VA was not ready for the Vietnam vets when we got home. It took the VA time to come up with ways to treat us. We were the guinea pigs for developing better ways to deal with today’s vets. So why, then, does the VA make it so hard for us today to apply and prove our disabilities?

Rick Lewis

1st. Sgt. USMC (Retired)

Clairemont

‘Outrageous’ actions by CHP officer

Regarding “CHP detention of firefighter at crash site sparks criticism” (Feb. 6), as a retired firefighter, the actions of that CHP officer were outrageous. The rig was parked in such a manner as to protect lives, including the lives of CHP officers.

I hope that officer does not get assigned to crossing guard enforcement. He is liable to arrest the crossing guard for impeding traffic.

Fernando Macias

Ramona

Individual care takes priority over system

U-T readers who find themselves patients of the medical students who heard the advice of Dr. James Madara should hope these future physicians reject it (“Head of AMA: Medicine about both care, efficiency,” Jan. 31). The most important characteristic that defines a job as a profession is that the practitioner is expected to do whatever is in the best interest of his client, in this case a patient.

Doctors altering their care of a patient in deference to the greater good of society is a manifestation of a centrally controlled population. The subjugation of individual freedom to an authority is the defining feature of a totalitarian government. Perhaps this explains why fewer than 20 percent of American doctors belong to the AMA.

Richard Safrin, M.D.

San Diego

GOP should pay back the government

With tax time upon us, we must reflect back to the government shutdown and the resulting loss of funds, which was caused by the posturing of Republicans.

I call upon each and every GOP member to reimburse to the people and government those lost funds via the IRS.

Each member should pay their fair share of the loss using a sliding scale, with local chapter officials paying the most commensurate with stature.

Top party congressional members must pay the highest amount.

Republicans who refuse to reimburse America must be considered by a partial term coined by an esteemed party member as “being against America.”